Real wages increase in Hungary, employment on the fall

In the first six months of this year, real wages in Hungary were up by 3.7% year on year. Over the same period, consumer prices increased by 5.7%. According to data released by the Central Statistical Office the number of people employed in Hungary in the first half of 2010 was 2 million 671,000 on average.

In January-June 2010, the public sphere employed some 767,000 people, while the number of employees in the competitive sphere was roughly 1 million 803,000. In the budget sphere, employment fell by 0.3%  compared to a year before, while this fall in the private sector was 2.4%.

The average gross monthly earnings of full-time employees in the first half of 2010 was HUF 204.100 (roughly EUR 735). The best-paying branch of the economy is finances with salaries more than twice of the average, followed by communications and utility industries. Statistical data suggest that the lowest paid areas are catering and those related to agriculture.